The Book Without Words is a volume of blank parchment pages. Or so it might seem. But for a green-eyed reader filled with great desire, it may reveal the dark magic of Northumbria, including the forgotten arts of making gold and achieving immortality. For generations its magic has been protected from those who would exploit it. But on a terrible day of death and destruction, the Book Without Words falls into the hands of a desperate boy.

Many years later, that boy, Thorston, is an old man on the brink of realizing his dangerous dream -- when he falls down, dead. Now his servant, Sybil, and his magical talking raven, Odo, must face their fate. With their master gone, will they be evicted into the cold, decaying streets of Fulworth to fend for themselves? Or can they somehow unlock the secrets of the Book Without Words and reap the presumed benefits of limitless gold and eternal life? But Sybil and Odo soon learn that nothing is as it appears to be: secrets are not secrets, gold is not gold. Most important of all, even their master’s death and their own lives are not certain.

Set in early medieval England and rich with mystery and atmosphere, this is a thought-provoking fable about life and death, greed and betrayal, magic and secrets.

Read Chapter 1.

Avi is the author of more than fifty books for children and young adults, including the 2003 Newbery Medal winner, Crispin: The Cross of Lead. He has won two Newbery Honors and many other awards for his fiction. Avi lives with his family in Denver.